Children's braces

Orthodontics is the area of dentistry concerned with the growth of the teeth, jaws and face. In excess of 200,000 children and teenagers in England and Wales have treatment within the NHS every year, with growing numbers of adults and young people seeking treatment on a private basis.

The purpose of orthodontic treatment is to make the best of your teeth. This includes allowing you to bite correctly, eat more comfortably, and to care for your teeth and gums more easily. And your smile will benefit, too. Common conditions requiring orthodontic treatment are:

Protruding upper front teeth - one of the most common dental problems

Crowding – a narrow jaw may mean there is not enough room for your teeth, resulting in crowding. Conversely, some patients have significant gaps between their teeth.

Asymmetry – particularly when the centre lines of the upper and lower front teeth do not match, perhaps because the teeth have drifted or the position of the jaw has shifted.

A deep bite – when your upper teeth cover the lower teeth too much

A reverse bite – when your upper teeth bite inside the lower teeth

An open bite – when your front teeth remain apart when your back teeth meet; the tongue is often still visible between the upper and lower front teeth.

Impacted teeth - in some patients, secondary teeth come through in the wrong position or do not erupt at all. Orthodontic treatment can help bring these teeth into the correct position.

The ideal age to have orthodontic treatment is around 12 or 13, while you're still growing. The opportunity for improvement in an adult is more limited and surgery is more likely to be needed.

Treatment usually lasts from 18 months to two years, during which visits to Kibworth Dental & Implant Clinic are needed every four to six weeks.

There are many different types of braces. Some are removable, which you take out at night, to eat a meal, or clean. Some are fixed and stay in all the time. NHS braces are made of metal, but at Kibworth Dental & Implant Clinic we offer clear braces for private treatments- which use clear ceramic brackets, so you can hardly see them on your teeth.

Following completion of your course of treatment, you will be required to wear a retainer for a number of hours a day or at night, to ensure your teeth remain in their new position. Your Kibworth Dental & Implant Clinic dentist will advise you of how long you need to wear your retainer for on completion of your treatment.

Looking after your teeth when wearing braces

Orthodontics usually works very well, but it's important to look after your teeth while you're wearing braces. Braces can trap food and cause more plaque to build up than usual.

You need to take extra care cleaning your teeth and watch what you eat – for example, by avoiding sugary foods and drinks. You also need to see your dentist regularly while having orthodontic treatment.

Hidden Braces

Retainers

Retainers are used to ensure your teeth remain straight once you've had a course of straightening treatment, and can be either fixed or removable. Your Uppingham Dental & Implant Clinic dentist can advise which will be best for you.

Related FAQs

At Portman, we have treated thousands of patients, aged from eight to 88 years old. There is never a point in life where we cannot move healthy crooked teeth into their ideal positions.

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Orthodontics

Why are my teeth not straight?

There are many causes of overcrowding, gaps and crooked teeth. For some people it can be inherited or possibly acquired, either due to a habit (sucking of the thumb, prolonged use of a dummy), or because of the premature loss of milk teeth or adult teeth.

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Orthodontics

What can be treated?

Orthodontic treatments have evolved enormously over the last 20 years. Now problems such as gaps between the teeth, crowded teeth, overbite (upper teeth covering the majority of the lower ones), open bite (upper and lower teeth almost don’t touch) and cross bites can all be treated.

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Orthodontics

What will the impact of orthodontic treatment be?

Orthodontic problems can have a profound impact on a person and their social and professional life. Depending on the extent of a problem, you might even be too self-conscious to smile. Effective orthodontic treatment not only improves your appearance, but also goes a long way to improving your self-confidence.

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Orthodontics

Should teeth be straightened for health reasons?

The correction of poor dental positioning also improves oral hygiene, as crowded or crooked teeth are often hard to clean properly. With such an improvement, the risk of gum disease for example – which can result in loss of teeth in extreme cases – is prevented.

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Orthodontics

What other benefits does teeth straightening offer?

Orthodontic treatment improves chewing efficiency by re-establishing the correct relationship between lower and upper teeth, removing the difficulty you may have when chewing certain kinds of food, and so providing better nutrition.

In some cases, orthodontics can also prevent complications in the temporomandibular joint (the joint which joins the jaw to the skull). Chronic pain in the head, face, neck or ears, as well as dizziness, nausea and restricted ability to open and close the mouth can originate here.